1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of decoy systems, notably for mines or explosive devices, laid, buried or more generally arranged at the roadside. More specifically, the invention relates to the decoying of improvised explosive devices which usually contain destructive, flammable and/or deadly chemical products that are commonly called IED (improvised explosive devices). The invention also relates, generally, to the decoy systems or decoys that make it possible to provoke the triggering of explosive devices or mines buried or placed at the roadside.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Conventionally, decoy systems or decoys are used to provoke the explosion of mines or explosive devices at a distance from the mine-clearing vehicles.
To this end, the decoy systems can comprise means for emitting radiation in the infrared spectrum so as to be detected by these devices or mines that include infrared sensors.
To allow for the emission of such radiation, one solution consists in fitting, between two metallic plates, an electrical resistance powered by an energy source.
In order to ensure an emission of infrared radiation that is likely to provoke the triggering of both mines and improvised explosive devices, it is, however, necessary for the electrical energy power source to be able to have a relatively high power, of the order of several kilowatts.
This is incompatible with an embedded system on-board a vehicle or pushed by a mine-clearing vehicle that also has to be used for several hours. Moreover, with this solution, the temperature rise time of the system is relatively great.
In order to provide the infrared radiation emission means with an input of electrical energy that is sufficient to allow for the triggering of mines and improvised explosive devices, it is possible to use a generator set. However, this solution has the major drawbacks of being relatively bulky and very heavy.
Also known, from the European Patent 1 054 230, is a decoy system linked to the front of a tank and mainly comprising vertical panels on which are provided metal conductors powered by the electric batteries of the tank to control their temperature.
The purpose of this system is to reproduce emissivity in the infrared range close to that of a tank to allow for the triggering of roadside mines. In this respect, one area of the panels can be slaved to a temperature of between 15 and 20° C. above ambient temperature, whereas a neighboring area of the panels can be slaved to a lower temperature, for example between 5 and 10° C. above ambient temperature.
Given the heat dissipation, the electrical energy supplied to the panels by the batteries can prove insufficient to allow for the triggering of roadside mines as soon as the tank is moving at relatively high speeds, of the order of 50 kilometers per hour.
Moreover, the electrical energy likely to be delivered by the batteries of the tank does not make it possible to obtain a sufficient temperature on the panels to allow for the triggering of improvised explosive devices. In practice, such devices usually explode when they detect a temperature higher than those recommended in EP 1 054 230.